


Red Pen Mark

by ageha_nacht



Category: Fire Emblem Heroes, Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Female Summoner | Eclat | Kiran, Friendship, Gen, How Do I Tag, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, M/M, Male-Female Friendship, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, listen, no beta we die like men, this started out hella different but honestly i like this better
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-15
Updated: 2018-10-15
Packaged: 2019-08-02 12:37:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16305374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ageha_nacht/pseuds/ageha_nacht
Summary: Because when mistakes are made, it's obvious you mark them with a red pen.





	Red Pen Mark

When it came to the art of devious plans and messing with others, no one had perfected it quite like Niles had. People could react in a number of different ways and he loved seeing them all. Of course, of all the reactions he’s seen, he’s sure none of them will compare to the reactions he will soon witness.

A few days ago Asa had received a messaged from Prince Bruno to meet alone. No Commander, no Sharena, no Alfonse; just the Summoner and if that hadn’t sounded suspicious. She hid the letter well, he’ll give her that. But the mask Asa wore always left Niles a little worried, and sometimes suspicious. The outlaw had found the letter being used as a bookmark in one of the books Alfonse had lent her. He cornered her and she told him about the letter and her confliction on what to do. She watched as something flared in him, unaffected by the sudden change in the air around him. She knew of his relationship with the prince and knew he didn’t take kindly to this. Niles liked to think he wasn’t a jealous type of man, but something didn’t sit right with him regarding Alfonse’s past lover. Asa placed a hand on his arm and handed Niles the letter.

_“I don’t care what Anna and the others say about Zacharias. I don’t like what this letter implies. I have a plan and if you want it can include you. What do you say?”_

He took it without hesitation. Because really, he wanted to meet the man that had such a place in his prince's heart and would still give it up. He licked his lips. This plan was probably a bad idea, reckless and probably dangerous. Both Niles and Asa were well aware of this fact, but neither could stand by. 

Which is why he’s here now, facing a masked man dressed in dark armor who was obviously not expecting the Nohrian scoundrel. 

"You... You're not the Summoner. I specifically asked her to meet me alone." Prince Bruno – no, _Zacharias_ – said. 

"Which is rather suspicious, wouldn’t you agree Prince Bruno? Or should I call you Zacharias? The latter was what the Order of Heroes called you, right?” 

From nearby, Asa watched. The person she was dealing with is Prince Bruno, not Zacharias. She wasn’t willing to take a chance. Especially after Sharena and Anna had told her what happened. Who would blame her for being a little miffed at what he did to the Askran trio? 

"I see.” Bruno said, breaking her from her thoughts. She needed to focus. “I would have never realized you were one of the Heroes. Tell me, did she send you?”

Niles shrugged. “Something like that. She wasn’t too comfortable coming alone to meet with an enemy. And while frankly I can’t blame her, she has no sense of adventure.”

“That’s unfortunate. I suppose I should be on my way then if she won’t show.”

“There’s no need to be in a hurry. You won’t be properly satisfied that way. Why not stay for a bit and chat? We may find some things in common.”

A smirk rose on Bruno’s face like he was some sort of prick. At least, that’s what Asa thought. But Niles didn’t seem bothered. Interesting. 

“I see. And what do you think we would find in common?”

It was Niles’s turn to smirk. This was it. He took out an arrow and twiddled with it. "Plenty of things, I’d like to think. I mean I am a so-called _Hero_. The Order is filled with many interesting people. Especially the pretty bit of porcelain that is Prince Alfonse. Did you know him?”

Bruno was grateful for the mask he wore lest this man see his widening eyes. He clenched his jaw and fists. "I should be asking you that.” 

From her hiding spot Asa could easily see the array of emotions flashing across the Emblan prince’s face. Perfect, he took the bait. Time for the next part of the plan.

“Who doesn’t?” Niles began. “He’s quite popular among us Heroes. No one can quite bring men to their knees like he can, and I’ve never said that about anyone other Lord Leo. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Asa watched as Bruno got continuously more riled up. It was impressive, watching Niles do this. She may have had the emotional attachment, but she didn’t have the brand of confidence that made way for manipulation like this. Niles was too good at getting under people’s skin. For her it made him fun company, for others a nuisance. But now, it made him her most valuable Hero. She was right to trust him.

“You know I’m curious, now correct me if I’m wrong. But you and Prince Alfonse were lovers at one point, right? I just wonder how anyone could give him up.” 

The silent anger in Bruno threatened to boil over. “Why do you care?”

Niles shrugged. "Why wouldn’t I? He’s a gorgeous man, and I am anything if not weak. The sounds he makes are music. I wonder if you knew.”

The blast that followed would of have caught them off guard, if they hadn’t planned for it. It was just as the Summoner said, and Niles dodged it with ease. He ran up to Bruno and pinned him down. A sadistic smirk crossed his face as he roughly grabbed the prince’s face. Now that the outlaw has a good look at him, he can’t help but chuckle. Alfonse has a type, it seems. More to tease him with when they get back. 

Asa emerged from her hiding place, robe fluttering behind her. She sighed, acting exasperated when she couldn’t be more proud. She stared down at the Emblan prince. “You have a lot of explaining to do, Zacharias. Starting with why you wanted to meet with me alone.”

* * *

The talk with Zacharias lasted much longer than the Summoner would have liked. There was no ambush, no surprise attack and no means of information extraction. Rather the Emblan prince wanted an update on how the Askran trio was doing.

_“I don’t think I want to tell you, if I’m being honest.”_

_“And you have every reason to, Summoner. But I’m not asking for Embla. I’m asking for myself. Please.”_

Asa wasn’t a cruel or sadistic person. In truth she felt bad for him, but hated how he handled it. She may be a hypocrite for saying this, but she hated how he lacked trust in the people who stood by him and hated how he fueled the hurt and distrust in Alfonse. Zacharias is part of the reason she’s here now. She and Niles left him with little more than a promise (not a threat) that she won’t be gentle should they meet again under such circumstance. She’s been hanging out with the Nohrian outlaw too much. She’ll never hear the end of it from Takumi. As the two returned to the castle, they missed the tear sliding down Zacharias’s cheek.

**Author's Note:**

> So this ended up completely different then I originally intended. To be honest I almost don't want to add the second part because I like this way more than the original draft. I mean what a cap off! But not only is it incomplete this way, I came to deliver the Nilefonse and I will deliver the Nilfonse. 
> 
> Anyway folks meet my Summoner, Asa. She's actually an original character that has a story, but she meshed well with the FE:H universe so I said fuck it. I'll be using her from now on because she has more personality than "Kiran." 
> 
> When I first wrote this, it was a jealous!Niles concept but then I started editing this and realized that a) Niles isn't really a jealous type of man (in the sense of how I planned to use him), and b) Asa and Niles being cool and badass together is my jam. Asa is the type of character that's very capable, skilled, and is a good person, but lacks confidence in herself and has very low self-esteem. She'd be someone that would benefit from being the Summoner and Tactician for the Order of Heroes, I think, just like she benefits from working with the extraordinary people she works with in her original story. I hope she'll feel organic as I integrate her into my future FE:H stories.
> 
> Support - comments, kudos, etc are appreciated. I'll slide in and fix the grammatical errors later.


End file.
